Q In 2008, the board of trustees of my building took out a loan to fix the roof after a hurricane. It is my understanding that it was a 5-year loan with a balloon and they had to refinance it in 2013 and the loan now is extended to 2017. …
Q I’m currently trying to get information on or determine what specifically a board cannot assess owners for. Our bylaws are extremely clear on what we can assess for—largely major improvements for the building. However, what can’t or sho…
Q Last year I became disabled and applied to the board for approval for a companion dog. Upon approval, I signed an agreement that restricted the dog from certain areas and reiterated the dog could not be a nuisance to neighbors. I instal…
Where There’s Smoke … There’s Fire? Q I live above a daily cigar smoker, and particularly in the warmer months I like to leave my windows and balcony door open. I’ve complained several times to the board and management that the smok…
I own a unit and live in a medium-sized condominium in the Boston area. Recently, a few strangers have been found lurking the hallways of the building. One of my neighbors who lives across the hall from me is very nervous about the possibil…
Q I recently bought a new unit in an HOA. I set up a fence in my backyard that management and the board says is too high, but the original developer’s original fences are as tall as the ones I installed. Most of the units still have this …
I am the vice president of a small condo community and we are trying to find out if non-homeowners can serve on the board. Several of the homeowners would like renters to have a proxy vote. However, being a proxy and voting for an absent ow…
Q In this day and age, must notices of rule violations be sent by certified mail? Can they be sent via priority/tracking mail? Can they be sent by email? Must complaints by others to a rules committee always be placed on standardized form…
Q I am on the board of a condo. We have a unit owner who is in arrears on maintenance and has cumulative late fees of several hundred dollars. The late fees result from being consistently late in making payments over the last few years an…
Six years ago I bought a two bedroom condo advertised with having two (2) parking spaces. They are piggyback spaces, meaning that the first car can't get out unless the second car moves. The parking spaces are not part of the deed, therefo…